Bill requires moving companies disclose employed sex offenders

FORT MYERS, Fla. – When a mover comes to your house, do you know who you’re inviting in? A new Florida law wants to make sure you’re notified if a sex offender is working for the moving company you hire.

Moving businesses we spoke with say they already have processes in place.

Getting a job at Affordable Transfer Company in Fort Myers involves more than just putting in a job application.

“We start by doing a background check by looking at their criminal history to see if they have any,” said William Jensen.

Jensen says a third-party company even does drug testing to ensure members of his team are “high quality.”

The new Florida law signed days ago would penalize moving companies up to $5,000 if they fail to inform customers that an employee on staff on the customer’s property was convicted of a sexual offense.

“If I was a customer, I’d want to know if someone was coming to my house that was a sexual predator,” Jensen said.

But not everyone completely agrees with this law, saying it could make it tougher for sex offenders to keep a job.

“It’s perfectly understandable that no one would want that to happen, you would not want that kind of thing at all,” said Jane Cooper, “but what’s that person going to do with their life?”

As Cooper helps a friend pack for a move in a south Fort Myers community, she says the new law could be another roadblock for sex offenders looking for work, but she still supports what the law aims to accomplish.

“You make the best of a bad decision, which don’t let them get into your house.”

27 Comments

Capt Charles Munsey Jr. USN (Ret)
on June 20, 2017 at 8:51 am

Florida had slowly started going in the right direction until the Scott/Bondi team got in place. Glad to see Bondi finally got married. Until then as Florida’s AG she was living in violation of Florida law.

So I have no right to know if a thief is going to steal my stuff he is loading on the truck or that the driver has 3 DUIs so my stuff is unlikely to make it to my new home or if it does survive the crash it will be scarred for life and never the same? Fear fear fear. Just got to spread as much fear as possible to keep everyone from coming together under the government’s thumb.

You are correct in using the term ‘legally”…which of course is not always reflective of reality. I was convicted in Virginia and not designated a predator, yet when I moved to Florida the same conviction caused me to be designated a predator only in Florida. Even my Florida counselor said it was a miscarriage of the law. Nothing could be farther from the truth in my designation.

Group? or groups. I think you mean designation (s) . I personally do not belong to a group or groups. If you want to fix something , start with the designation that affects the most. This bill affects very few. The headline states otherwise and is sensationalized.

Until, everyone gets on the same page or off the same list. This will continue.

I would like to see the wording on this law. Does it apply only to residential moving services or to commercial logistical moving services as well? This law clearly illustrates the purely malevolent intent on the part of the law-makers who crafted and supported this bill to continually disenfranchise a particular sub-set of ex-felons; absent any shred of evidence what-so-ever that a registered “mover” used such employ to endanger a child.

If this law is so important, what about allowing drug dealers, thieves, burglars. armed home invaders, murderers, etc into one’s home? This law is a fine example of ‘do-gooders’ going after an agenda rather than a problem. The more they can turn away from legitimate work to earn a living and support a family, the more that will have to turn to crime just to survive. Of course, that adds to job security for law enforcement…and I use the term ‘law enforcement’ loosely.

Yup keep making it harder and harder…I remember when my son was on paper they pressured him all the time to get a job lol what a joke! If it wasn’t for some kind people that saw beyond the label he would be homeless now. They should have just made it where RSOs can’t work for moving companies because it accomplishes the same thing. Idiots!

Please Help Our Cause

Full Site Search

Search for:

Archives

Archives

Recorded Meetings and Weekly Updates

Meetings and Weekly Updates can be listened to when it's most convenient for you.
• Dial: (605) 475-4953
• Enter Access Code: 739392#
• Choose the recording to hear: Enter the Recording ID, or press # to hear the most recent recording. Weekly Update recording ID can be found on the Weekly Update page on this site.

FAC Community Calls

General Membership Calls:• 1st Thurs of the month at 8 pm
New Member Orientation:• 2nd Thurs of the month at 8 pm
To Participate:• Dial (319) 527-3487• To join directly on your computer or smartphone, CLICK HERE.